RoADAR/RoSPA member here, about to take my first test. My group say I'm looking at a gold whereas I'm not the chicken counting type... Looking forward to booking it once the Superb arrives.

 

Which local group are you with?

Which local group are you with?

 

Merseyside mate (meeting at the Miller & Carter, Aughton). 

Ah very good. Just wasn't sure which bit of the North West you were

<waves> RoSPA Advanced Tutor and Training Officer for Wiltshire RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders.

Edited 12 May, 20169 yr by ncarring

RoADAR Nick? Not aware of any such branding....

Doh! Well we haven't signed the new constitution yet - is my excuse

I work for a ambulance service, and have just gone though some new blue light training gaining what they call L2 AAA and L3 AAA driving qualification.

IAM is now IAM Roadsmart.

https://www.iamroadsmart.com

After a few hiccups (including daughter #2 arriving!) I paid my money last week and am waiting for the examiner to call for my first test with RoSPA... I don't think I ever crammed this much (Roadcraft, HC, KYTS and various DVDs) even when I was in university! I've been getting in a goodly amount of night time drives when the kids are in bed, as well as obviously driving to system day to day to keep myself sharp. I just got back from a cracking 60 mile run; 10 miles up the motorway then 40 miles through the most challenging 'local' B roads and back again. The TSI doesn't half sip on fuel considering the rate of knots it cracks on at! It's fair to say I 'made progress' but I had 41mpg on the Columbus when I arrived home. Can't argue with that.

 

Fingers crossed for a Gold... Any tips chaps? 

Edited 28 August, 20168 yr by Rainmaker

Thanks to BillyJim for the kind tips over PM. I had my first test this morning and got a gold. Add another member to the club.

Congrats - great effort!  :clap:

Congrats - great effort! :clap:

Cheers Wardy, I'm made up.

A good feeling, for sure! Did you have a decent route on your 'final drive' ?

 

Who did you have as an examiner and where did you meet up, out of interest?

Congrats Probably been about 8 years since I did My IAM test and to this day I still use the system as a base guide. Like everything in life many ways of doing the same thing.

A good feeling, for sure! Did you have a decent route on your 'final drive' ?

Who did you have as an examiner and where did you meet up, out of interest?

Oh yes we had a good long run, and took in a good part of Kirkby, Rainford, Crank, Parbold, and Kings Moss. It was with David Corbett and we met up at Kirkby Makro as it was half way between us both.

Where about you based? I'm in Prescot.

Where about you based? I'm in Prescot.

Liverpool these days mate as I married a Scouse girl. St Helens born and bred though and my ma still lives in Haydock.

Well done Jason. I passed my IAM back in 1976 and became an observer for a couple of years.Got my to do the IAM 6 months after passing her driving test and what an incredible amazing difference. When I worked at Aston Martin, also participated in Police driving course and had two staff entries to race tracks here. Also drove many exotic cars all around EU including the Artic circle where they do cold weather testing.

I've passed RoSPA and IAM at different times. Up here in the frozen North the Police used to run a course which comprised classroom, a demonstration drive in a traffic car (that was extremely impressive) then a number of observed drives in your own car. I did this course in the late 80's and it really fixed "the system" in your head and I've used it ever since. Following that course I passed RoSPA and have taken the opportunity about every 5 years to do some level of training.

The course has now been cancelled as they found that the people who wanted to learn weren't always the people who needed to learn.

I've been an IAM member and observer for about 5 years but had to drop observing due to time pressures.

Plan for next year is IAM Masters.

I've passed RoSPA and IAM at different times. Up here in the frozen North the Police used to run a course which comprised classroom, a demonstration drive in a traffic car (that was extremely impressive) then a number of observed drives in your own car. I did this course in the late 80's and it really fixed "the system" in your head and I've used it ever since. Following that course I passed RoSPA and have taken the opportunity about every 5 years to do some level of training.

The course has now been cancelled as they found that the people who wanted to learn weren't always the people who needed to learn.

I've been an IAM member and observer for about 5 years but had to drop observing due to time pressures.

Plan for next year is IAM Masters.

 

It's a shame that they have stopped such an impressive sounding course, but I suppose funding and their view on the attendees has sealed it's fate :( It would unlikely ever happen due to cost, but an alternative to a ban in certain cases like totting up forcing an individual to attend and pass such a course at their own expense within a set timeline with any deviation resulting in licence suspension or ban (whichever appropriate), would be a positive move. Highly unlikely to ever happen though :(  

IAM car pass in 1984, (yikes)...company requirement but never regetted it. Cycling Proficiency around mid-1950s. Back in the days when our village had a Cycling Proficiency Rally...observed route, written Highway Code test...as part of the annual Carnival. One year it was a tie, myself and a girl. Decision was made following each of us going through a question and answer session in private. She won. However, as she was the Town Clerk's daughter she wasn't actually allowed to enter the competition. Her Dad said he didn't know she had entered, (despite being a route judge), so the verdict stood. My introduction to corruption in local government. Never held a grudge against her, just her Dad and the 'System'. Nothing changes, eh?

It's a shame that they have stopped such an impressive sounding course, but I suppose funding and their view on the attendees has sealed it's fate :( It would unlikely ever happen due to cost, but an alternative to a ban in certain cases like totting up forcing an individual to attend and pass such a course at their own expense within a set timeline with any deviation resulting in licence suspension or ban (whichever appropriate), would be a positive move. Highly unlikely to ever happen though :(

It was a great course but I agree with their view. A large part of Advanced Driving is actually wanting to improve your own standards and the people who volunteer to do improvement courses such as RoSPA, IAM etc are usually not the people who need the additional training. Those that need training usually think they're above it.

Well done Rainmaker, glad you got the result you wanted.

Did mine 14 years ago - I'm still proud of it and try to apply what I learned but I must go back to the group and resit - be intersesting, should I use our DSG (Superb Combi) or one of the manuals (225 BHP Audi TT) ?

If I had the choice, I'd do it in the manual.

 

But there's obviously nothing wrong in doing it in the Superb, with DSG